


It's An (Awkward) Family Affair

by anissa_qiaolian



Series: The Book of ThunderQuake [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Black Lightning (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 21:26:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17536568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anissa_qiaolian/pseuds/anissa_qiaolian
Summary: Dinner at the Pierce household ft. a rogue Daisy Johnson. What could possibly go wrong





	It's An (Awkward) Family Affair

Dinner at the Pierce household was always an event.

Lately there was more fighting and shifty looks thrown across the table than anyone in the family wanted to admit. Everyone was dealing with their own shit, and it usually came to a head at the dinner table.

Now her parents and older sister were trying very hard _not_ those issues show to their new superhero guest sitting across from Jennifer.

No one was saying anything and Quake – Daisy ‒ kept looking down and picking at her food in a way that would’ve gotten her fussed at.

“Okay, can we just address the elephant in the room please?”

The adults snapped their heads up and Daisy’s eyes shifted guiltily to the door, knowing what was about to come.

“I know our family doesn’t do normal, but I know we’re not about to sit here and act like Quake isn’t in our dining room.”

Daisy’s fork clattered against the plate and she seemed to be having a mental debate on whether to sprint out the door right now.

“Young lady”, Jefferson’s voice rang out threatening and clear.

“No, its…it’s okay”, Daisy apologizes instead, feeling comfortable enough to pick up her fork and resume eating. “This is super weird to me, too. I mean, thank you guys so much, none of this was even necessary…”

“Daisy, it’s fine.” Anissa was reassuring the other superhero with a smile and a gentle touch on the arm.

“No, I get it”, Daisy said directly to Jen this time. “It’s not everyday a wanted superhero shows up in your dining room.”

“Actually…” Anissa paused, remembering the first time she realized her dad was Black Lightning.

It was after he’d beaten her ass in a fight.

“So, Daisy”, Lynn cleared her throat, trying desperately to establish some kind of order in the room. “What brought you to Freeland?”

“Well, I…I was running away, actually, from that stuff in Chicago, and I guess I just happened to be passing through. Anissa and Mr. Pierce saw me and instead of kicking me out they…invited me here instead.”

Daisy sounded as if that was way more than she thought she deserved.

“What you did in Chicago was amazing”, Anissa said, swallowing a bite of her food. The atmosphere around the table was finally calm enough for everyone to resume their meal of salad and sautéed shrimp.

“To save lives like that…it must have felt so good.”

Anissa always got starry eyed when it came to using her powers and helping others. It was the reason she was given a gift, and she admired anyone who used their gifts the same way, regardless of what the crooked law system said about vigilantes.

“I mean, it was. I love using my powers to help other people, but that’s not actually why I left. My team…I just felt like I didn’t belong there anymore.”

Daisy’s voice had gotten quiet and Anissa remembered how sad the other superhero had looked when she and Dad had found her.

“How did you get your powers, Daisy? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Jefferson spoke directly to Daisy for the first time that evening, knowing it was probably a good time to change the subject. Unless it made the young woman shut down even more, then he’d feel like a complete idiot.

Thankfully Daisy seemed to appreciate the question, and her expression grew nostalgic as she smiled.

“Part of me was always born this way, since I’m Inhuman. But my powers had to activate with Terrigenesis, which is like, this crystal rock thing that only Inhumans can survive.”

She winced at something invisible and Jeff was starting to think he messed up the mood by asking when Jennifer spoke up again.

“Wait – so there are Metahumans _and_ Inhumans? What’s the difference?”

Lynn piped up to answer this question, her lab research about biological structures kicking in.

“From what I’ve studied, metahumans are humans whose biological chemistry was altered at some point during their lives, mutating their cells with a gene that causes superhuman powers. Inhumans are beings who were born with alien gene, as Daisy said, that can only be activated when exposed to the Terrigen. Every metahuman I’ve studied had their powers triggered by a traumatic experience.”

Silence washes over the table again when the family knows that they are included in the metahumans whose cells she looked over when she was trying to find a cure.

The rest of the meal is mainly quiet.

**

Having Quake over for dinner was odd enough.

Her standing up and offering – no, _insisting_ – that she help wash dishes after their tense family dinner was something else entirely.

No matter how hard Jennifer and their parents tried to act like everything was fine they could see the teenager was near the end of her rope.

Anissa wanted her sister to get her powers under control very soon, just so she could have a normal life again.

Why couldn’t her parents understand that keeping her sheltered like this would only make things worse?

Daisy followed Anissa silently into the kitchen and obediently started placing their dishes in the dishwasher.

“You don’t have to do that Daisy, really.”

“It’s fine.” Daisy had a smile on her face, but her voice sounded as tired as Anissa felt. “You guys really didn’t have to invite me in and let me stay the night, so…this is the least I can do.”

“Can I ask you something…about your powers?”

Daisy shrugged. “Sure.”

“My little sister, Jen, she…she’s really struggling right now and my dad and I can’t get through to her. At this rate I’m not sure she’ll ever learn to control her powers.”

“She has powers too?”

Daisy tried unsuccessfully to keep the shock off her face. She had never heard of a whole family with superpowers before. _Almost whole,_ since she was pretty sure Mrs. Stewart was human. But you never know.

“Could you…talk to her, if that’s ok?”, Anissa continued, hands folding nervously under the dish towel.

“I got the hang of my powers pretty quickly and I think it’s hard for her to relate to.”

Daisy certainly had experience in the _what the fuck is happening to me / why do I suddenly have superpowers_ department.

And she owed it to Anissa and her family, who showed her kindness when she hadn’t earned it by any means, to do whatever it takes to show them she was grateful.

“Yeah. Of course. I know what she’s going through, and I’d be happy to help.”


End file.
